Wedding Belles

Meridee was congratulating Lewis and looking like a politician herself, talking to the media and laughing. It was her radio station, too, after all, since she’d made such a huge investment in it. But she preferred to be the silent partner and let Lewis have all the spotlight. That was her way.

Meanwhile, Dallas became more persistent to get that quote from Vivi.

“Oh, my Lord, I cannot get that dung fly Dallas off me,” Vivi said. “She is the most paparazzi-fied reporter in history. And have you seen her skirt? My God, you can just about see all the way up to the promised land.”

Sonny reached over and hugged Vivi. “Congrats on the ground breaking. Y’all got quite a future ahead. This is a great day,” Sonny said. “And, Vivi, I don’t think I have ever seen you glowing like you are today.”

“That’s ’cause I’m sweatin’ my ass off, Sonny. Now, if I could just have you put a restrainin’ order on the Mouth of the South, the day would be perfect. Dallas is driving me crazy for a statement.”

“Then give her one,” I said.

“Yes, a good one,” Bonita added as she rejoined the group with her sweet cold lemonade. “A shocker that’ll shut her up.”

Just then we saw Dallas heading our way, tiptoeing on the dirt with her stick-thin stilettos.

“Here we go again,” Vivi said. “While I do love all this attention, something about that woman’s attitude just rubs me wrong. I’d rather talk to a rattlesnake.”

“Vivi,” Dallas snapped, coming up beside us. “Are you ready to make a remark regarding today’s dedication yet? It is hot as hell out here and I have to prepare for my newscast. I can’t wait all day.”

“Why, Dallas,” Vivi cooed, in a falsely sweet voice, “I would be happy to give you a statement. I am just so proud of Lewis Heart and everything he has done for the city of Tuscaloosa that I could strip him naked and ride him like a bull, right this second.” Vivi smiled innocently. “How’s that, sugar? Will that work for you?”

All of us broke out in embarrassed shocked laughter.

“Oh, crap, I didn’t have my mic on,” Dallas said. She thrust the newly powered up mic into Vivi’s face. “Can you say that again?”

“Of course, sweetie. Anything for you. I love my Lewis and I am extremely proud of him.” She stopped and smiled.

“That’s not quite what you said before,” Dallas insisted. “Could we try that again?” She repositioned the mic under Vivi’s nose.

Vivi shook her head. “Sorry. Gotta go see my man now. He’s busy saving the day and I wanna be with him. Bye, y’all.” She winked at me and took off toward Lewis.

11

Later that afternoon, I was sitting in the cool of my office with Wanda Jo. Harry hardly ever came in anymore since the campaign had taken over his life. But I was okay with that. I liked working on things by myself, much more than I ever thought I would. I had several cases going, and I was glad to be so busy. Otherwise, I might find myself hanging over at the police station in a certain investigator’s office, which would simply not do.

I was meeting with Wanda Jo concerning a file when Vivi came flying in, literally running down the hall and straight into my office. “Blake, oh, my God, you’ll never guess what happened after you left the press conference. It is unreal!”

“Sit down, girl. You gonna deliver that baby right here if you don’t,” Wanda Jo said, getting up and giving her a chair, then pulled up one for herself.

“What the hell, Vivi?” I asked her. “What happened?”

“Blake, you are gonna die. In a million years, we never would have seen this comin’.”

“Are you gonna tell me or are we practicing telepathy?”

“After you left, Harry came over to Lewis and asked to talk to him. Lewis looked surprised and nervous. I mean, you know how it is between them. I moved closer to Lewis for support when Harry asked me for privacy. Can you believe it? I am carrying Lewis’s baby, and Harry had the nerve to ask me to give them a minute alone. I was immediately suspicious.”

“You aren’t the only one. What did you do?”

“I walked over to Meridee and Kitty, who were still talkin’ to Mayor Charlie. Harry said something to Lewis and he plopped down on the bottom step in shock. Then Harry sat down next to him.”

“Oh, my Lord,” Wanda Jo said. “It must have been serious for Harry to risk getting his pants dirty. What the heck did he say?” She knew Harry pretty well herself. Well, actually, everyone knew that for Harry to sit on anything other than a proper seat in his perfectly pressed pants was way out of character.

“I’m getting there, I’m getting there! Anyway, I wanted to run over when I saw Lewis sit down, but then I saw them shake hands. A minute later—you won’t even believe this—they hugged. Hugged!”

“No way,” I said. My heart sank. I knew Harry would be up to something with Lewis in the spotlight today. He just couldn’t stand it.

“Yes, way,” answered Vivi. “I almost fainted. With the heat and all, I thought I was seeing a mirage, but Meridee confirmed it. She was watching with me, and you know how she never misses a thing.”

“Vivi, spit it out. What happened? I’m about to die here,” I said.

“Harry walked away, and Lewis sank back down on the steps. I ran over to him and sat beside him. Blake, you aren’t gonna believe this, but Harry wanted to make amends. He actually apologized to Lewis, said he was truly sorry. Harry said he had misjudged Lewis for years and had been wrong about him. Can you freakin’ believe that?”

I sat in silence.

“Blake, you can close your mouth now,” Wanda Jo chimed in. “It’s not like Harry apologizing is a sign of the apocalypse, though it’s pretty damn close, for sure.”

“This is just not the Harry I know,” I said. “What else happened?”

“Harry asked Lewis to forgive him, and said he wanted to make up for lost time. Wanted them to act more like brothers. You know Lewis. He has been so hungry for family since the big fight all those years ago, and Harry not speaking to him ever since. Lewis said he was ready for them to start over, and he asked Harry to be best man at our wedding.”

“Okay,” said Wanda Jo. “It’s officially the apocalypse.”

I couldn’t believe this. Lewis and Harry had gone for over six years without speaking, all because of money and what to do with their mother after their father died. While Harry was the practical, serious one, Lewis was always going for the big dream, like owning his own radio station, though none of his schemes had ever worked out until now. He had lost the majority of the family fortune and went to Meridee behind everyone’s backs to ask for loans. But while the rest of us had spent our time judging Lewis based on his failures, Meridee saw something special in him, as she did in everyone. She helped him get this radio station going and he has been able to fully pay her back. But Harry has never ever apologized to Lewis. Till now.

“I can’t believe Harry came around,” I admitted. Was it real? I wondered. Was he genuinely wanting to make amends? Or did he just want something, now that Lewis was Tuscaloosa’s golden boy.

Vivi seemed happy, but I detected a hint of confusion from her, too. We sat there in shock and silence for a few moments.

Wanda Jo broke in first. “Look, y’all, we can sit here all day long wonderin’ what the hell he’s up to, or we can just be glad this happened. Whatever the motive, Lewis has got his big brother back. Just in time for the wedding, too! I have known those boys since they were knee-high to a grasshopper, and I know their momma would be proud.”

“You’re right, Wanda Jo,” I ventured warily.

“’Course I am. But I can’t just sit here whistlin’ Dixie. I got to get home and watch my VCR. I hope all my stories taped. Y’all just be grateful for good news and have a good evenin’. I know I will. That new widowed preacher’s stoppin’ by for some spaghetti.” Wanda Jo got up and pushed her chair back up against the wall.

Vivi laughed. “Oh, my word, Miss Wanda Jo, I thought you swore off all men of the Lord when you left your last preacher man.”

“Well, at my age, I can’t be too picky. Ever’body deserves a chance, you know. Only problem is he’s a damn Baptist, and you know I still can’t bake a pound cake. What good will I be at a funeral? All those Baptists bake like a son of a gun.” She winked. “Better get my cookbooks out in case somebody kicks the bucket. Wouldn’t wanna disappoint my new man. Now remember,” she added, “you two let these boys alone. It will all work itself out. We don’t need you being like Lucy and Ethel stirrin’ the pot.”

It was true; we did have the reputation of always being up to something. But when Wanda Jo left, Vivi and I sat looking at each other. We both knew Harry, and this turnaround was, at the very least, a tad fishy.

“I swear, Blake, I want Lewis to be happy. I don’t want to say anything to him, you know, just be supportive—but I have one eye cocked over my shoulder. Harry can’t be for real, can he?”

“I don’t know,” I said, “but for now, I guess it’s okay. I mean, how bad could it be?” In truth, I knew it wasn’t real. My prediction was that Harry probably thought it would be good for his campaign since: 1) it fit perfectly into Harry’s family values platform, and 2) Dan likely suggested it and told Harry to smarten up. With Lewis being near royalty as the voice of the Tide, Tuscaloosa really liked him. Lewis was a really likable guy in general. So it was pretty brilliant for Harry to buddy up to him. And the timing was way too perfect, with all those reporters around to capture the moment. I was sure Harry knew exactly what he was doing. Lewis was so happy, he would be receptive to Harry’s gesture. For Harry, being a politician through and through, this reconciliation was likely all in a day’s work. For him, it was a double bonus. He’d get all the votes from the Lewis fans, and he would be standing up as best man in the wedding of the decade for Tuscaloosa.

But also, I knew deep down he was actually proud of Lewis. Probably surprised his brother had finally pulled off one of his grand schemes, but it was an important one, and now Lewis was somewhat of an equal. Someone Harry was not ashamed of anymore. Harry was proud to be the brother of our new town hero and be able to show him off, especially on air. All good stuff for a future senator. And if the end result was that he would stand up for Lewis on the big day, then I guess this charade wouldn’t do any harm.

Vivi sighed. “I just don’t want Lewis hurt. He’s not the type to put up walls, you know? He’s an all or nothin’ type of guy. That’s what I love about him. I feel like I want to warn him, but at this point, I can’t. He was so happy, and, after all the fanfare today, this was just the icing on the cake. It would be so cruel to tell him his brother might be using him. Anyway, I’m goin’ home. Lewis said he was comin’ in a bit, and I gotta help Arthur get the place ready. Miss Bonita’s coming over for dinner, and Lewis says he’s bringin’ me a surprise.”